Building construction and clip means therefor



B. E. BALDUF May 5, 1936.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION AND CLIP MEANS THEREFOR 4 i .V IIIII. w n .J n f 1 n.

w ai INVENTOR BRUNO E. BALDUF. BY WQ ATTORNEY May 5, 1936. 4 B. E. BALDUF `2,039,382

I BUILDING CONSTRUCTION AND CLIP MEANS THEREFOR Filed Oct. 13, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 9 4 101 BRUNO ELBALDUF.

atented rf 5, 1936 lTED STATE FICE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION AND CLIP MEANS THEREFOR poration of Illinois Application October i3, 31933, Serial No. 693,42? In France July 6, 1931.

17 maims. (Cl. 'Z2-118) This invention relates to building construction and has to do more particularly with constructions in which there are provided means for conn'ecting4 various structural parts in spaced rela- 5 tionsh'ip, such as in walls, ceilings or floors.

This application is a continuation in part of my co-pending application, Serial No. 543,318, iiled June 10, 1931, now matured to Patent No. 1,935,536 and entitled, Building construction.

l In my said co-pending application there are disclosed various forms of resilient clip connecting means for sound insulated walls, etc., which are adapted for side attachment to a stud or building member. The type of clip connection set l forth in the present disclosure, however, is adapted for attachment directly to the face of a building member regardless of its nature and maybe used either in sound insulated constructions, or in structures where sound insulation is not particularly essential but it is desirable to provide for substantially spaced relationship between the component parts oi the structure, so as to provide for a substantial degree of potential movement between the parts after erection. A spaced relationship is also desirable for other reasons which will become apparent from the following detailed description, or will be found inherent in the structure under various conditions in practice.

it is an aim of the present invention, therefore,

to provide a connecting clip which may be readily secured to the face of a structural member and will form a substantial connector for another structural member in spaced relationship to the first member.

Another object of the invention isvto provide means whereby .a building member designed to form all or a part of the nished surface of the structure can be attached in spaced relationship to a variety of base members, such as building tile, masonry, brick, wood, etc.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction in which a massive or basic structural member and an overlying structural member of lighter construction are connected in spaced relationship in a manner to permit some relative movement of the massive or basic structure without damaging the overlying structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a clip for building construction which can be nailed or otherwise secured to the face of one buil/ding member and slidably engage another building member in spaced relationship to the iirst member.

Another object is to provide a method of building construction in which there is a supporting member of somewhat variant or uneven face surface and a building element connected thereto which, however, is to be maintained with a substantially uniform face plane, wherein clips hav ing bendable portions are used as the connect- 5 ing means and permit compensating for the variations or unevennesses in said supporting member by bending the clips as necessary to bridge the various spacings between the said member and element. 10

Another object is to provide a, building construction and clip means therefor which is eco nomical, simple to erect and ecient in use; also to improve building structures and clip means therefor in other respects hereinafter specified 15 and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofy this specicatlon, in which:

Fig. l is a sectional perspective view showing a 20 preferred form of clip in use in a building construction;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a modied form of clip;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation showing either 25 of the clips of Figs. l and 2 in place against a brick wall;

Fig. 4 is similar to Fig. 3 and shows the use of metal lath in the construction;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a 30 wall construction in which there is employed a modied form of clip;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a. :door construction in which clips of the type herein contemplated are employed;

Figs. 7 and 8 are fragmentary perspective views of constructions in which the clips are provided with means for direct engagement of building panels;

Figs. 9 and 10 are perspective views of modiiied 40 forms of clips;

Fig. l1 is a perspective view of a modied form of clip adapted for supporting metal lath; and

Fig. l2 is an elevation of a form of clip for use at the corner of a room. 0 45 In the construction of a building, the base member for walls, iioors or ceilings may comprise any of a number of materials, such as wood, gypsum partition or'oor tile, brick, concrete, etc. In order to hide the rough base structure 50 and provide a wearing surface or deccratlon base, there is generally applied thereover a struc ture of lighter construction which may comprise wallboard, plasterboard and plaster, `metal lath' and plaster, etc., in the case of walls and ceil- 55 ings; and nish flooring in the case of'floors. It is often necessary or desirable to substantially space apart this finishing surface from the framework or other massive or basic member of the building in order to take care of any one or more of a number of different conditions such as for sound insulation, thermal insulation, to permit movement of onebuilding member relative to another after erection, to permit erecting a. finishing surface having a substantially uniform face plane regardless of unevennesses or variations in the supporting structure, to prevent moisture which may seep through the base structure from attacking the finish surface, or the like. The present invention provides for constructions of this nature.

In Fig. l there is shown a building member I5 on the face of which are secured clips I6 which engage and support a metallic channel strip or runner I1 in spaced relationship to member I5. Each of clips I6 is provided with a resilient loop Il having a laterally extending U-shaped flange I3 adapted to form a. base to rest against the face of member I5 for attachment thereto, said flange I9 being preferably suitably apertured to receive nails or other attaching means for securing the clips to member i5. The opposite end of loop I 8 is provided with a flange 22 which is reverse bent to form a U-shaped 4flange or seat 2l adapted to receive a flange 24 of channel strip I1 for the purpose of vsupporting the channel in position. A ange is formed on seat 23 to engage the web of channel I1 and prevent displacement of the channel from the seat. Clips Il may be placed in engagement with channel strip I1 by a simple manipulation of the same to snap onto flange 24 of the channel; or, where desired, flange 25 may be initially formed as a straight extension of seat 23, and after the channel flange 24 hasbeen placed into position in seat 23, flange 25 may be bent over upon the web of channel I1. The apertured portion of flange I3 is preferably extended laterally a sufficient distance beyond loop I8 to permit free perpendicular access for the purpose of driving or otherwise placing attachment means 20. If the member I5 should be a metallic beam, girder, or the like, flange I9 may be formed to engage a flange of said beam as described in my aforementioned co-pending application. It will be apparent that by providing a simple clip which may be readily secured' to any portion of the face of a structural member in any desired position, a very valuable feature has been contributed by the present invention. Erection is facilitated and the erector is permitted greater freedom of design and manipulation than in constructions heretofore employed.

Where sound insulation is not an important desideratum in the construction, but it is desired to space the structural members apart and maintain some flexibility in the construction, a furring clip, such as shown in Fig. 2, may be used. In this form of clip there is provided a substantially straight body portion or leg 21, of preferably, though not necessarily, considerable length relative to other portions of the clip, said body portion being provided with flange 28 at an angle thereto and adapted to form a base for/attachment against the face of a building member I5 'by nails or other attachment means 29. The

opposite end of body portion 21 is provided with an arrangement similar to that described for clip I6 and application of the clip to a channel strip I1 is similarly performed. The body portion or leg 21 of the clips is preferably arranged to extend at an angle relative to the surface of member I5 to which the clips are attached, this angle being such that when the clips are in place the clip legs will diverge to the sides of channel I1 and ready access may be had to drive nails 29 through flanges 28. When in place, therefore, the legs 21 will be in opposed angular relation to one another and provide considerable lateral stability to the channel I1 supported thereby. The body portion 21 is also preferably bendably connected to the other parts of the clips or made of comparatively soft metal, which, while permitting the clips to be bent when necessary, is yet not of such softness as to impair the eilciency of the clips in use. Thus, the relative position of members 23 and flanges 28 of the clips is readily variable by a simple bending operation, whereby to accommodate variations in the spacing between the members being connected. With this feature it is possible, for example, to place channel I1 with a substantially uniform face plane regardless of variations such as disalignment, warping, etc.; or unevennesses in member I5 or other base member adjacent which channel I1 may be supported. This relative bendability is also of advantage when, in the ilnished construction, relative structural movement or warping takes place in the supporting structure whereupon the clips will give sufficiently to prevent transmission of the movement to the supported structure.

In Figs. 3 and 41s shown a brick wall 3| to which there is connected in spaced relationship a furring channel strip I1 by means of clips 32. These clips 32 may be of either of the forms shown in Figs. l and 2, and are preferably attached to the wall 3i by means of nails 33 driven into the mortar joints between the bricks. It will be noted that clips 32 are shown as placed in staggered relationship along the edges of channel strip I1. In this manner of placement stability can be secured in the strip I1 while using a minimum number of clips. Where desired, however, the clips may be placed opposite one another as seen in Figs. 1 and 2.

Where the finished surface of the building is to comprise plasterboard 34 over which is applied a plastic coating, such as plaster 35, plastic paint, or the like, attaching clips 36 are provided. Oppositely extending fingers 31 are formed on the clips 3E, said clips being connected to the channel strips I1 by a suitable attaching flange 31a and being adapted to engage the edges of the plasterboard 34 to support it.. However, where it is desired to provide a plastered wall in which metal lath forms the plaster base, metal lath 38 may be secured to furring channels I1 by means of vwires 39 or the like. In either case, a light weight panel structure secured to the channel or runner members I1 is obtained, and where spring loop clips I6 are used in the structure, the shock of impinging sound waves or other concussions against the light weight panels or the heavier structural members will be absorbed by the clips and thus substantially prevented from transmission through the construction.

The modified form of furring clip shown in Fig. 5 comprises a substantially straight body part 40 provided at one end with a flange 4I adapted to rest against and to be secured to the building surface 42 by means of nails 43 or the like. A plate 44 is secured, as by spot-welds 45, to ange 46 formed on the opposite end of body portion 4I) aoeaaaa of the clip, and is provided with a plurality of laterally extending lingers @d adapted to bear against the web of furring runner Il. A U- shaped ange 4S is adapted to engage a flange 2li of channel il. Provision is preferably made for receiving a plurality ofnails or other attachment members le for securing the clips against the structural member d2 so that the clips `tvill be substantially prevented from pivoting due to pressure brought against strip il. The building member l2 may comprise any type of material employed for the purpose such as partition tile, Wood, brick, etc., since from the nature of the urring clips employed, they may be readily attached to the face of the member regardless of its nature. A

In a door construction, there may be employed clips 5@ having a spring loop body portion 5i provided with a return bent ange 52. .apertures are preferably formed in flange 52 to receive a nail or other suitable attaching means 53 so as to secure the clips against the face oi a sub-oor l'il which may comprise gypsum floor tile or other suitable material. The flange 5E is preferably made long enough to extend substantially beyond the resilient loop lil, so as to permit substantially .tree vertical access for driving nails 53 or the like. The opposite end of loop 5i is provided with a return bent L-sl'iaped iiange 55 adapted to form a seat for a sleeper A nail or screw 5l is driven through an aperture in flange into 'the side of sleeper for securing clip 5@ thereto. A plurality of clips are used for each sleeper and are preferably secured to alternate opposite sides of the sleeper in spaced relationship. This construction provides an inexpensive resillent structure which is realy adaptable to vari ous conditions.

Where it is desired to provide a plasterlooard construction of an even more inexpensive character than that illustrated in llg. 5, clips such as shown in Figs. ll-ld may loe used. Eri-Fig. l there is shown a clip du, comprising s, spring loop 59 which is provided at one end with a return bent ilange @El adapted to rest against the lace of structural member iii iior attachment thereto. A panelboard-engaging clip is provided with oppositely extending ngers which forni channels for receiving the edges of wallboard dll, and is secured to the opposite end of loop et by spot Welding. ln order to permit ready access to se= cure these clips against tine building member (5l, even when the :flange @il is partially obstructed by a plasterboard til, an extension t5 is preferably termed on each side of iange @il These extensions may be apertured to receive nails or the like for securing the same against member ti. Where iurring Witlooutsubstantial sound insulation is desired, the i'orm of clip shown in Fig. t' may be employed. In this form of clip body portion @l is substantially straight and is provided at one end with a flange lili. An elongated plate GQ is secured as by spot welding to ange t@ in such manner that the ends of the plate extend transversely oi the ilange, and at least one end will be accessible for the purpose of driving a nail or similar securing means l@ through the plate, whereby to fasten the clip to a structural member l2. The opposite end or body portion or leg 5l is provided with a flange ld secured, as by spotwelding, 'to a panelboard-engaging clip ld. Where desired, the flange iid may be provided with extensions similar to extensions 65 formed on idange 6@ of clip 58 instead of being combined .with attaching plate te. Likewise, if desired,

able lug :lange 60 may be secured to an attaching plate 6l instead of being provided with extensions B5. Body portion lil may also be oi relatively bendable material or be bendably connected to anges 68 and it so that the clips may be arranged to conform to possible variations in the spacing between member l2 and panelboards it which are preferably erected in a substantially uniform plane.

The clips shown in Figs. 9 and 10 are modifications and in some respects simplified forms. Clip lt comprises a resilient loop l'l having one, end ormed into base ange l@ and the other end provided with a ange it to whichds secured a panelboard-engaging clip portion til. Flange lt is preferably oiI such a length that its end will extend substantially beyond the end of' the panel engaging portion lili, and an aperture Elli is formed therein for the purpose of receiving a nail or other suitable fastening means for attaching the clip to a structural member. ln order to permit easy securing of clip il@ to a structural member when flange l@ is obstructed by a panelboard,tliere is preferably formed along one edge of dangel a' lateral extension @il provided with a suitable aperture Bil. instead oi' the loop portion oi the clip lacing longitudinally oi tne'clip portion iid, the clip may take the forni shown in Fig. lil, wherein a idange Si formed on one end of loop IBS is secured transversely of the paneiboard-=- engaging member i3d. Thus, base flange @livr/nich,

extends substantially beyond lingers till, is read. ily accessible for perpendicularly driving a nail or other securing means through flange Sie 'in which there is preferably formed. an aperture lli for insertion of the securingmeans.

For the purpose or securing metal latii in place in a wall or ceiling construction, clip' Sil may m employed to advantage. .This clip comprises a resilient loop @il provided at one end tv'itli a res'i verse bent flange @d serving as tire base'ior securthe clip against structural member, `and reierably naving an aperture @Ci through which a nail or tire like be driven in securing the saisie against the structural member. Tire oppo end oi loop @Gis provided with a ange @l to which is secured, as by spot-Welding, orfthe like, a plate @il having struck up' therefrom a bendln a budding construction, a plu rality oi Q3 are secured in place and metal latin is tlien positioned against plate 98, lugs tiren being bent over to engage the strands of the metal latir. Where sound insulation is not of primary importance, but tine advantages of furring the metal lath away from the structural member adjacent which thelatlo is to be secured are desired, a clip may loe provided in the form indicated in dot and dash lines in Fig. ll. There is provided a substantially straight body portion or leg lili having a'base flange litt at one end, and flange ill attached to the plate @il at the other end. Body portion or leg tdi may be oi? bendable nature in a similar manner and for the same ypurposes as described in connection.' with the forni ber itt is secured to the side of member lill; A'

somewhat o-set flange il@ is provided on the other end of loop its and is oi sumciont lengthA to extend substantially beyond the edge of member |08 so as to permit driving nails or the like III therethrough for the purpose of securing the same against building member H3. A crimp I Il may be formed in iiange I I0 so that the iiange may be bent to embrace a corner of plate H5 as shown in broken lines in Fig. 12. When desired, the clip may be provided with a substantially straight shank H1 having a iiange H8 secured to the base H9 of board edge-receiving member While the clip means herein have been illustrated as taking a variety of possible forms to meet various conditions, it will be apparent that the underlying principle of the invention remains the same throughout. The invention provides clips which may be readily secured in any desired operative position on the face of the basic and generally more massive structural elements of a building construction, and more or less resiliently spaces the generally comparatively lightweight flnishing structure of the construction substantially away from the underlying supporting structure. Building constructions are subject to structural movements from time to time, such as result from settling of the building, or from contraction or expansion, or the like, and by spacing the structural members apart by means of clips, as herein described, movement taking place in one of the members will be substantially prevented from transmission to the other member because of the inherent resiliency of the clip connection. Where the clips are provided with a resilient loop, a large degree of sound insulation is provided because 1n each instance these resilient loops are preferably made of a sufficient stiffness so as not to vibrate due to sound waves or concusslons impinging against one of the members connected by the clips, but are yet of sufficient flexibility to be initially exed by impinging waves or coneussions, such as will cause a sound audible to the human ear, whereby the impact will be prevented from transmission to the opposite structural member. In a masonry or brick wall facing the exterior of a building, the mortar joints may be defective in spots and therefore allow moisture to be driven therethrough into the interior of the building, but where-the finished surface is furred away from the brick or masonry wall, the surfacing member of the construction will be saved from damage because the moisture will be prevented from reaching it. The present invention also provides means whereby in a construction of the class described even though the supporting structure may be of uneven or variant character and it is desired to provide the finishing surface structure with a substantially uniform planular face, the variations in spacing between the structures will not prevent attainment of the objective nor reduce the strength and durability of the construction. Clips are provided which are readily adjustable to suit the variable spacings, and thus substantially obviate the heretofore necessary expedient of building up or furring out under the clips.

I would state in conclusion that while the illustrated examples constitute practical embodiments of my invention, I do not wish to limit myself precisely to these details, as manifestly the same may be considerably varied without departing from the spirit of the invention as'deflned in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim' as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In abuilding construction, a building frame, a iiat metallic spring loop having a U-shaped flange formed on one end, means for attaching said flange to said frame, a second U-shaped flange formed on the opposite end of said spring loop, a runner engaged by said second U-shaped iiange, and a lightweight panel secured to said runner and spaced apart from said building frame by said resilient loop.

2. In a building construction, a building panel of massive construction, a pair of resilient spring loops secured to said panel and being oppositely disposed, a. channel shaped runner arranged adjacent the opposite end of said spring loops, U- shaped brackets formed on the outstanding ends of said loops and arranged to engage the opposite sides of said channel strip, and a lightweight panel secured to said channel strip and arranged to receive impinging sound waves to be absorbed by the spring loops.

3. In a building construction, a building member, a metallic clip secured by nailing to the face only. of said member, a surface structure spaced away from said member and connected thereto by said clip, said clip having only a single, resilient, loop extending between said member and surface structure.

4. In a building construction, a massive or basic building member serving as a support, metallic clips secured by nailing to a face only of said building member in spaced relationship, and a relatively light weight flat composite structure in spaced relationship to said member and serving as the finish face of the construction, said structure comprising a surfacing of set plastic material, said clips being in engagement with an element of said structure and serving to maintain the spaced relationship between said member and said structure, said clips also permitting some structural movement between said member and said structure whereby the set plastic surfacing will be kept substantially free from cracking.

5. In a building construction, a building member, a surface structure spaced away from said member and adapted to form the iinish face of said construction, and a plurality of individual clips secured to said building member and supporting said surface structure, each of said clips having a body portion formed of a single metallic strip provided with base means secured to the face only of said member, and means on said clips spaced apart from said base for engaging a part of .said surface structure, said clips being arranged to permit relative movement between said member and said surface structure without damage to said structure.

6. In a building construction, a building member, a channel strip in spaced relation to said building member, clips securing said channel strip to said building member, said clips being fastened to the face only of said member and in relatively slidable engagement with said channel strip, and a finish surface supported by said channel strip, said clips permitting relative movement between said member and said finish surface after erection without damage to the surface. 7. In a clip for the purpose described, a substantially straight body part formed from a single strip ofmetal, means at one end of said body part forming a base for attaching said clip by nails to the face only of a. building member, and means on the other end of said body part for engaging another building member in spaced relation to said iirst building member.

8. In a clip for the purpose described, a body part in the-form of a. resilient loop, means at one end of said body part forming a base for attaching said clip t'o the face only of a building member, and means on the other end of said body part for engaging the edge of another building member in spaced relation to said rst mentioned building member.

9. In a clip for the purpose described, a body part formed from a single strip of metal, means at one end of said body part forming a base to be nailed to the face only of a building member, and means, on the other end of said clip for engaging thel edge of another building member in spaced relation to said iirst mentioned building member, said base means being offset sufliciently relative to the remaining part of the clip-.to permit free perpendicular access to said base to permit driving a nail or the like through said base.

10. In a clip for the purpose described, a body part formed from a single metallic strip, means at an end of said body part forming a base for attaching said clipl to the face only of a building member, and means on another part of said clip for rmly engaging a flange of a channel strip disposed in spaced relation to said building member.

11. In a clip for the purpose described, a body portion, means on one part of said body portion for engaging one structural member, and a base flange formed on an end of said body portion and adapted to rest against the face only of another structural member, said flange being apertured to receive means for securing said flange against said last mentioned structural member and being positioned in oiset relationship to said engaging means whereby perpendicular access will be had to said apertured portion for inserting said securing means.

12. In a construction of the class described, a supporting member, clip means having leg portions provided with lateral flanges attached to said member, said clip leg portions extending at an angle to said supporting member, a channel strip in spaced relation to said supporting member, and means on said clips for engaging the flanges of said channel strip, each of said lateral flanges extending suiciently to the side of the strip to permit ready access with a hammer in order to drive nails or the like through said flanges into said member.

13. In a construction of the class described, a supporting member of somewhat irregular face surface, clip means having leg portions attached to said member, said leg portions being bendable relative to other parts-ef the clips, and a furring strip supported by said clip means in spaced relation to said supporting member and in a substantially uniform face plane regardless of the irregularities of said member face, said leg portions being disposed in angularly opposed relation one to the other and serving to compensate for variations in the spacing between said supporting structure and said strip by an increased or decreased angu-larity of all or part of said leg portions.

14. InA a construction of the class described, a supporting member having a somewhat variant or uneven surface, a furring strip in spaced relation to said member but maintained in a substantially uniform-face plane regardless oi variations in said member face, and metallic clips connecting said furring strip to said member, said clips having leg portions bendable relative to other parts of the clips and extending at an angle outwardly from said furring strip to contact with said supporting member, the angle at which all or part of said clip legs extend away from said strip being greatest where the strip and supporting member approach one another closest and least where the same are spaced more apart due to variations or unevennesses in the face of said member.

15. In a construction of the class described, a supporting member, a plurality of clips secured to the face of said member, a furring strip supported by said clips in spaced relation to said member, said clips being arranged on opposite sides of said furring strip and comprising leg porv tions disposed inl angularly opposed relation one to the other and at an inclination to the face of said supporting member.

16. A clip for the purpose described, comprising a body'portion, means on one part of said body portion for attachment to a supporting member,

and means on another part of said body portion for attachment to a at Wall element to be supported in spaced relation to said supporting member, said clip having leg portions on said body portion extending at an inclination to the face of said supporting member, said clip being relatively bendable intermediate said means whereby the spacing between said supporting members and wall element is variable by a, simple bending operation.

17..\In a construction of the class described, a supporting member, an element in spaced relation to said member, and metallic clips connecting said element and member, said clips having a relatively bendable portion extending at an inclination to the face of said supporting member so that by bending said clips said member can be positioned in' a substantially uniform plane regardless of unevennesses or variations in said supporting member.

BRUNO E. BALDUF. 

